PHOTO COURTESY WARNER BROS. PICTURES

The movie musical version of “The Color Purple” is, above all else, an absolute battle royale of tremendous performances.

As seductive blues singer Shug Avery, Taraji P. Henson seems to strut off the screen and into the auditorium. Colman Domingo’s villainous Mister is unflinchingly hateable yet equally compelling; you’ll never feel anything but loathing, but you’ll be waiting for him to come back. Powerhouse performers including Halle Bailey, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R. and Jon Batiste get in their shots even with little screen time. Danielle Brooks, playing the boisterous and defiant Sofia, nearly steals the whole show.

And through it all, Fantasia Barrino, reprising the lead role from Broadway, refuses to let “The Color Purple” be anything but her story.

It tries to get away from her. This version of “The Color Purple” has a long list of antecedents: it’s based on the 2005 Broadway musical, which was based on the 1985 (non-musical) film, which was based on the 1982 novel by Alice Walker. Accordingly, the film is always juggling, trying to honor book, film and musical without leaving anything out — all while those dynamic performers are constantly grabbing the camera.

The weight of it all does show, particularly in Marcus Gardley’s script, which sometimes can’t decide which thread it’s meant to follow, dashing off after this plotline and that. Director Blitz Bazawule works overtime trying to keep up, deftly blending magic realism, showtune showmanship and high drama; keeping this train on the tracks was a big job, and Bazawule did it well (with ample credit to his cinematographer, Dan Laustsen).

It’s tempting to compare it to the 1985 film. That film has taken on some degree of ignominy due to an unfortunate Oscar record; it received 11 nominations without taking home a single trophy, tying 1977’s “The Turning Point” for the dubious honor of becoming the most nominated film to leave empty-handed. (One suspects the Academy will find somewhere to honor this version to make good.) The previous “Color Purple” is more than that odd statistic, however — it’s a sweeping epic of disappointment and perseverance.

That story — focused on Celie (Barrino), a woman who spends decades learning to take control of her own life and regain all that was taken from her — is intact, and remains powerful. It is perhaps somewhat less elegant than its predecessor; glorious as the musical sequences often are, they do interrupt the storytelling.

The film ends up where it should, however, and is never less than beautiful. “The Color Purple” continues to weave its way through popular culture, and this latest version lives up to its reputation.

My Rating: 8/10

“The Color Purple” opens in theaters on Dec. 25.